Where to get the best comfort food in Australia

Whether you’re planning your food stops for your next roadtrip or just getting to know your local area, there is always a spot that feels like home. Here are our favourite comfort food hotspots throughout the country.

Comfort food takes many different forms to different people. It can be the taste or smell of your childhood, a hint of heat when the weather gets cold, or simply your favourite flavours all rolled into one.

Because it’s such a personal thing, compiling our favourite picks for comfort food in Australia was a difficult task. But given the plethora of amazing restaurants across the country, we were sure to hit all the flavour notes that will comfort your soul and your stomach on a dreary winter afternoon.

Melbourne – Bad Love Club

This relatively new eatery in Melbourne’s west has already developed a rabid following. Billed as a bakery bar, Bad Love Club functions as a café during the day and at night they turn down the lights, turn up the music and offer a selection of cocktails along with their signature baked treats.

However, comfort food really found a home with their delicious menu of jaffles. The classics are all on high rotation – think baked beans, or ham and cheese – but you won’t want to miss their famous Return of the Mac (stuffed with mac and cheese) or the Frankie, which is filled with saucy homemade meatballs.

Main image courtesy of Bad Love Club.

Sydney – Johnny Wong’s Dumpling Bar

Dumplings are a firm favourite in the comfort food world, delivering loads of flavour in convenient little parcels. If you’re after something cheap and cheerful you can’t go past Johnny Wong’s $1 dumplings on Wednesday nights. Whether you prefer steamed or fried, they’ve got it all – and are the perfect escape for an affordable mid-week meal.

Hobart – Jack Greene

If you’re the type of person who likes the challenge of a burger that is hard to fit in your mouth, then you’ll love Jack Greene. The Hobart institution celebrates burgers of all shapes, sizes and base varieties – from classic beef cheeseburgers and vegetarian delights through to a locally sourced wallaby burger. If you’re only a little bit peckish, their mini burgers can be bought individually or in a platter of 3 so you can sample even more fantastic flavours.

Perth – Meat Candy

If there’s one thing to be said about the Americans, they sure know how to do some delicious comfort food. The brilliant minds over at Meat Candy have taken this philosophy and run with it, serving up crispy fried chicken and classic American sides. Wings, drumsticks and tenders all have their place on this Western Australian menu, with coleslaw or mashed potato with gravy on the side to drive home those comforting feelings.

Brisbane – Cowch

Not all comfort food needs to be savoury. If you’re the type of person whose day isn’t complete without something sweet to eat then you’ll be in heaven with a visit to Cowch. This dessert hotspot has everything a discerning or adventurous sweet tooth could ask for – hot churros, Belgian waffles, s’mores pizzas and an array of eye watering sundaes. One look at their website will be enough to make any chocolate lovers book a flight to the sunshine state.